The demon studied Vakdragnar with its glowing red eyes. Vak lay sprawled out on the ground, not sure if he should move. It is like looking into the eyes of a tiger. If I move, he will certainly pounce. The demon stood impossibly still, staring at him.
“You are different,” Zogmodeth observed. Its jaw made an unsettling creaking noise every time it opened its mouth to speak. “I sense a bit more strength from you than these pathetic humans.” It taunted.
“Why are you just watching me? You look poised to strike, why hesitate?”
“Why should we fight? Even I could see these others were your enemies. They were trying to kill you before I returned.”
“They may be,” Vak answered carefully.
“Then, why stop me? I saw the way you defended the Summoner. Are our purposes not aligned?”
“What exactly do you want?” Vak asked, he slowly brought his feet under himself to stand.
“I am bound to fulfill my bargain. After that, I am free to slash and cut and torture.”
“Your bargain is with Nina?” Vak said, trying to buy himself a few more moments.
“Yes. I made a pact to protect her. The surest way to fulfill that pact was to bring her here. This place is a well of great power for my master. Here, nothing can harm the summoner.”
“That is not protection,” Vak explained. “You cannot lock a person away and say you are protecting them. That is torture.”
“Well, they say the demon is in the details,” It laughed. The laughing sound was like a terrible howl. “So, friendship is out of the question?”
“You have your bargain, and I have my promise. They appear to be in absolute contention.”
“Pity, well, more to eat then.” It said with a sickening smile that nearly split his skull in two. It came at Vak, and he attempted to spring backward. Anything to put more distance between them, but it made no difference.
Zogmodeth’s speed was disorienting. It was on Vak in a moment, slashing its claws along Vak’s chest. Vak felt like his insides were on fire from the onslaught, yet he somehow remained on his feet.
Zogmodeth brought its now-bloody fingers to its mouth and began to lick with glee. “Yes, your blood is sweet. The taste: exquisite; I must have more.” It said, turning its glowing red eyes toward Vak. “I will have every last…. What is this? The wounds on your chest, they’re nearly healed?”
Vak’s stomach bore no scar from Zogmodeth’s attack. It healed as he slowly tried to keep his anger in check. It was all he could do against the demon.
“Your flesh should be torn open,” it howled, “and you should be on the ground begging me to spare your life! How is this possible? Who are you?”
“Just an Islander whose read to many adventure stories,” Vak said with a groan. He cracked his shoulder with a pop.
“No,” It said as its glowing eyes narrowed. “You’re the idiot between me and my dinner!” It shouted in rage as it charged Vak. He could barely see the movements, and even when he forced himself to look, his eyes wanted to glance away. If Vak stared too long at Zogmodeth, it was painful.
It grabbed Vak with its enormous claws, and Vak could feel the darkness ooze off of him. It weighed him down. Then Zogmodeth brought its head down and bit Vak in the shoulder. It tore a chunk of his neck off, and the blood ran down its mouth.
Then it began to pummel Vak. Striking him with its claws trying to eviscerated Vak. The two were bathed in blood as Vak attempted to mount a defense, but the creature was too quick. Vak vision was getting blurry, and his head began to bob uncontrollably. His eyes fixed upon his axe which lay across the room. He felt himself going light-headed, but he held on. He could not blackout now. There would be no telling if the rage would take over or not.
It shoved Vak backward, throwing him to the ground. He was a bloody mess, and Zogmodeth seemed to regain its superior demeanor.
“There mortal. You aren’t so tough now that you’re a bleeding husk. To think you had as much power as you did. I shouldn’t have let myself lose control like that. It’s embarrassing.”
I need to find a way to stop this rage from bubbling over. I’m losing a lot of blood. If I can not find a way… His thoughts trailed off as he stared at the members of Shattershade. They were either unconscious or dying. They already thought the worst of him.
“Losing control… is embarrassing.” Vak said echoing the demon’s words. He tried getting back to his knees. Why am I holding back? What do I have to be embarrassed about? For once, I cannot possibly make things worse with my anger.
“What was that?” It demanded.
“I know what you mean,” Vak said standing. A layer of blood-covered Vak's torso, but there was not a scratch on him. Vak took his hand and wiped away some of the blood off his chest and slowly ran his hand down his face, painting it with his blood. Zogmodeth took an involuntary step backward.
Is it frightened? Vak wondered. “I too have problems with losing control. It can be tough to rein it in.”
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“What is this? That is impossible! You're still standing? After the slashing I gave you? This is maddening! Are you a demigod?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that. I am Vakdragnar, and I just realized I have no reason to hold back with you.”
“What?”
Vak finally stopped fighting his inner anger. The bias of the people of his village, the guards and the resentment towards Lance, the belittlement from Shattershade, the way he felt after Cassie burnt those two men alive, and the pain that this demon had brought; he stopped struggling to hold it all back. He just let go, and the rage bubble over.
The air in the tomb grew dry as a hot red wind picked up. It began to swirl around the room. Loose items on the ground started to clamor around in the whirlwind. Vak could feel his strength return, and the bloodloss meant nothing. He felt the charge of electricity crackle within his aura of pure rage.
“This… This feeling of dread and anger. Is it coming from you? Do you think you can frighten me with it? I am Zogmodeth! I devour everything in my path!”
It charged Vak, but it's inhuman quickness seemed so telegraphed to Vak now. A quick flash of red lightning announced each step it took. Vak could see the demon trying to ignore the pain as its legs began to break away from each bolt.
It raised its claws to slash at him, but Vak batted its arms away as though they belonged to a tiny kitten. The demon tried to swipe a few more times, but Vak’s rage had hardened his skin. Zogmodeth broke its claws with its relentless assault.
Then Vak leapt into the air and struck one of the creature's horns with his palm. The broke and it howled in pain. Vak gracefully landed on the other side of it.
It slowly turned around. Vak could see the darkness oozing from the broken horn on his head like viscous black blood. It reached its hands up to inspect itself in disbelief, and it howled in rage when it felt the stump. It reeled around on Vak.
Three glowing green blasts struck the creature in the chest as it staggered backward. More of the foul-smelling black liquid oozed out of the wounds, as it howled in agony. Nina Hale was sprinting across the room toward the exit.
“Where are you going? I am protecting you!” It screamed.
“No, you were imprisoning me, and thanks to Vak, here, you no longer have the strength to keep me locked up.” She said skidding to a stop. She raised her hand, and another green ball of power left her fingertips. It struck Zogmodeth in the leg. Pieces of him crumbled away with each blast.
“You would injure me, after all, I’ve done?” It shouted in frustration. “Then I’ll drag you back to the twelve hells with me!” It lunged at her.
“You are going alone,” Vak said, spinning the horn he held in his hands. He shoved the two-foot point straight through the back of the demon’s head. It shattered like an expensive vase, and Zogmodeth fell to the floor of the tomb. Its body began to twitch. The darkness surrounding it began to convulse and twist and swirl around it like a tiny storm, and then it folded into itself. It Slowly cracked and crunched as it dissolved in on itself until the demon was no more.
Vak dropped the demon horn to the ground as he let the anger and rage slowly subside. He felt a cold calmness wash over him again without any struggle on his part. His anger evaporated, and Vak wondered if he was finally rid of it.
“Are you uninjured?” He asked Nina.
She looked at him in disbelief. “Yes, thank you. That was…”
“You do not need to say it,” he said, feeling a bit of shame return as he slowly realized what she must think of him.
“Incredible!” She said, rushing over to him. “You had all that power inside you? Have you always had it? Where did it come from?” She said, looking him over.
Vak smiled, and he raised his hands as though defending himself from the barrage of questions. They both began to laugh.
“You may be laughing now, bastards,” Anka said, her voice carrying across the room. Vak and Nina turned to find her cradling Braid on the ground. She had raised her once-white headscarf to cover the side of her face.
As she stared up at them, Vak could see that her eye was gone, and there was some terrible scarring around the socket. Her healing abilities had their limits. Now she crouched over Braid trying to dress his wounds. Her hands glowed white as she knitted them back closed.
“There is nowhere you can run to escape the wrath of Shattershade.” She shouted. Vak looked over toward Cassie as she coughed up black sludge in the corner. It would only be a little while before she was back to herself and likely hurling fire at Vak.
“Nina, we should go, I can take you back to town before they can regroup.”
“Aren’t you with them?” She said, confused.
“I was, but it seems our paths have split. It is complicated, but the short version is: they are not the people I thought they were when I first set out with them.”
“Yeah, I have a boyfriend like that,” Nina said.
“Destin! Yes, he is worried about you, in his way. I can take you to him.”
“No!” She said with a fierceness that made Vak take a step back. “No,” She repeated. “I do not want to go back to Tirough. I’m not sure I can, anyway. They have to think I’m a witch now.”
“No, we will explain. It will be alright.”
“Well… I’m also not sure I want to go back.” She said, walking across the tomb toward another exit of the room. “Look, here.”
Vak walked over and inspected the other exit. It looked like it sloped down continuing further underground. He crouched down and picked up a blue feather that lay on the ground, completely out of place.
“What is that?” She asked.
“A feather of some kind. I do not know.” He said, handing it to her, he began to walk back across the room and grab his axe.
“What do you say we continue exploring this place?” She said excitedly. “I’ve never been this far from home, and it would be a shame to have to come back all this way later.”
“You want to keep going?”
“Sure, it's an adventure, right?” She said, smiling. “Want to come with?”
Vak stalked across the room and grabbed the demon horn he’d dropped. He spared a glance at Anka who was still trying to heal Braid. She looked up at him with hatred in her eye. Vak stopped at the bulbous pack he’d been carrying for the last couple of days. He dumped its contents on the floor of the tomb.
“Hey! Stop that!” Anka yelled. “What are you doing?”
“Balancing the scales,” Vak said, throwing her words back in her face. He found a small backpack within the larger pack and began grabbing a few essential things and placing them inside, including the Demon Horn. Vak spared a moment to check on the little bag containing the grue worm. He once again fastened it to his belt. The worm wriggled up at him as though it was happy to see him. Vak closed his pouch again
“Those are our things, you thief!”
“I am merely taking the things that might help protect me at an important time. They’ll do us far more good then you assholes.” Vak said mockingly.
“You bastard!”
“Hey, it is not what I prefer, but... how did you put it? Oh, yes, it is necessary.” He said slinging the smaller pack across his back. He strode over toward the second exit. “I am ready now, Miss Hale.”
“Call me Nina, Vak.” She said, strolling down the corridor out of the room. Vak followed her with an amused smile on his face and without another word.